MANILA, 13 June 2003 — Sen. Robert Jaworski fears that drug tests being conducted on players in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) are flawed.
Jaworski, who starred along with Ramon Fernandez in Crispa-Toyota reunion gam recently, filed Resolution 616 which seeks a full inquiry on the issue of players accused of being drug dependents who are cleared in independent examinations.
Known as the Living Legend of Philippine Basketball, Jaworski called on PBA commissioner Noli Eala to act immediately and correct what he said are “flaws” in the PBA’s drug testing system.
Six more players in the PBA have recently tested positive for illegal drugs, bringing the total offenders to 10.
Reacting to Eala’s statements that he stands firm on his decision to suspend the players who had tested positive for an illegal substance in the PBA’s mandatory drug testing last month, Jaworski said the players’ rights had been violated and this should be addressed immediately.
“The Senate hearing last week showed there were, indeed, errors in the implementation of the program which were made the basis in slapping penalties so they have to be corrected,” Jaworski said.
“I think commissioner Eala misinterpreted the Senate’s intention in conducting the investigation. Let me repeat this, our intention is to help the PBA rid its ranks of drugs, which to us is a noble and laudable undertaking. But when mistakes were identified leading to the players’ suspension, we should fix it immediately,” he said.
San Miguel center Dorian Pe?a, who had been slapped a two-game suspension for marijuana use in the pre-season, Red Bull star Davonn Harp, Barangay Ginebra forward Jun Limpot, Talk ‘N’Text backups Noli Locsin and Angelo David and FedEx slotman Ryan Bernardo all failed the test, according to PBA commissioner Noli Eala.
Three team utility men along with FedEx physical therapist Kenneth Dichoso also failed the drug test.
Eala suspended the players who failed the mandatory testing indefinitely and all of them will be subjected to rehabilitation programs ranging from four months to one year.
“Look, we are speaking here of the players’ future, of their reputation having been tarnished and their families besmirched so why wait for some other time?” Jaworski added.
“I say there were errors in the process because how can you explain the fact that (Jun) Limpot, apart from testing positive for an illegal substance, was also found to be positive for a medication intended to cure epilepsy,” he said.
During the hearing, Eala pointed out that substances only trigger false-positive results in the initial screenings, but these results are eventually nullified in the confirmatory tests done at the PNP Crime Lab whose drug-testing machines are ‘drug specific.’
On the questions on whether ‘human error’ may have altered some of the results, Eala said: “Yes, there could be a possibility of human error, but the possibility is different from reality.
We are confident about the soundness and fairness of our procedure.”
Eala also said no less than Department of Health Undersecretary Antonio Lopez testified during the hearings that drugs or food supplements with methampethamine are not sold over the counter.
Still, Eala expressed his gratitude to both the Senate and the House of Representatives for giving the league the opportunity to defend itself over the spate of controversies that resulted from its all-out campaign against illegal drugs.
Sen. Robert Barbers also urged the PBA to standardize its guidelines regarding the implementation of fines and penalties on drug offenders regardless of the kind of prohibited drug that was used.
He made the suggestion after he was informed during last week’s Senate inquiry that the sanctions being imposed on erring players and officials varies — at least a two-game suspension for use of marijuana and an automatic indefinite suspension for use of hard drugs like shabu, cocaine or heroine.
Barbers cited Republic Act 9165 which states that the type of penalty should depend on the quantity of the drug used by or apprehended on a person, and not on the type since they are all prohibited under the law.
He was reacting to the fact that Asi Taulava was only meted a two-game suspension after traces of marijuana were found in his urine samples while Limpot and eight others were suspended indefinitely — without pay — after testing positive for other banned substances, and despite the fact that most of them have contested the results.
Eala defended the PBA guidelines by saying that marijuana is a “debilitating drug” which players are less prone to take because it affects their performance on the court. On the other hand, some of the hard drugs are performance enhancing so players are more prone to taking it, and therefore, the distinction.
Eala said the initial inquiries conducted on Thursday by both houses of Congress served to enlighten the public on misconceptions regarding the league’s drug-testing program, bolstering the confidence on the fairness and soundness of the procedure,
“We’re thankful that it gave us the opportunity to expound on our drug-testing procedure,” said Eala.
